@Decaffeinated
I named her after Alectrona, Greek goddess of the sun. :)
Her job, ever since she was a hatchling, was to light the lanterns. And every year, she did just that. She gathered her silks and her feathers and sat in front of the mirror in preparation for hours. Alectrona made sure each and every tassel was laid out evenly. Not a single wrinkle could be found in the smooth fabric of her garments.
Alectrona remembered doing this with her entire family. Her siblings all sat around while their mother got dressed up, just like Alectrona now, and told them all kinds of stories. It was a family tradition that all of them looked forward to. And when her mother was finished getting ready, they’d all go out and gather their lanterns. The lanterns were another tradition of theirs. The youngest spent the week before painting the delicate pieces of fabric, before the oldest would construct the lanterns.
One by one, the family would then find Alectrona’s mother. With a torch she’d light up every single one of the lanterns. Her own was lit last. For as long as they could see them, all the family would watch the lanterns disappear into the night sky. They sat together by an open fire and talked and laughed all through the night.
This year, Alectrona was alone.
Alectrona sighed wistfully as her shiny talons lingered on her locket after she had put it on. The locket used to be her mother. She had been the one to light all the lanterns before Alectrona. Before her, it was her grandmother. The locket had been passed down all these years. Alectrona wondered for a split second who she would give it to.
She got up and sauntered outside. It was pitch black out there, Alectrona could hardly see where she walked. But with a bit of magic she lit her lantern. The soft glow emitted by the beautiful object soothed Alectrona’s suddenly overwhelming emotions. She’d never missed her family until that moment.
As she stared at the lantern floating high above her, she felt a claw on her shoulder.
“It looks beautiful,” an all too familiar voice said.
“Thank you.”
“You know, you don’t have to do this alone every year. I know how important it is to you.”
“I know that. It’s just-”
Daxal sighed, interrupting the skydancer. “Right. It’s personal.”
Alectrona just nodded. She smiled contently as the lantern disappeared from sight. Another year had gone by. “You’re not even going to try to ask what I’m celebrating this year?” Daxal’s questions had almost become part of the tradition to Alectrona. Ever since she’d joined Jasper’s Coven, his curiosity had been relentless.
“No. I’ll just keep hoping you’ll share your secrets with the rest of the coven eventually.”
“We’ll see."
I named her after Alectrona, Greek goddess of the sun. :)
Her job, ever since she was a hatchling, was to light the lanterns. And every year, she did just that. She gathered her silks and her feathers and sat in front of the mirror in preparation for hours. Alectrona made sure each and every tassel was laid out evenly. Not a single wrinkle could be found in the smooth fabric of her garments.
Alectrona remembered doing this with her entire family. Her siblings all sat around while their mother got dressed up, just like Alectrona now, and told them all kinds of stories. It was a family tradition that all of them looked forward to. And when her mother was finished getting ready, they’d all go out and gather their lanterns. The lanterns were another tradition of theirs. The youngest spent the week before painting the delicate pieces of fabric, before the oldest would construct the lanterns.
One by one, the family would then find Alectrona’s mother. With a torch she’d light up every single one of the lanterns. Her own was lit last. For as long as they could see them, all the family would watch the lanterns disappear into the night sky. They sat together by an open fire and talked and laughed all through the night.
This year, Alectrona was alone.
Alectrona sighed wistfully as her shiny talons lingered on her locket after she had put it on. The locket used to be her mother. She had been the one to light all the lanterns before Alectrona. Before her, it was her grandmother. The locket had been passed down all these years. Alectrona wondered for a split second who she would give it to.
She got up and sauntered outside. It was pitch black out there, Alectrona could hardly see where she walked. But with a bit of magic she lit her lantern. The soft glow emitted by the beautiful object soothed Alectrona’s suddenly overwhelming emotions. She’d never missed her family until that moment.
As she stared at the lantern floating high above her, she felt a claw on her shoulder.
“It looks beautiful,” an all too familiar voice said.
“Thank you.”
“You know, you don’t have to do this alone every year. I know how important it is to you.”
“I know that. It’s just-”
Daxal sighed, interrupting the skydancer. “Right. It’s personal.”
Alectrona just nodded. She smiled contently as the lantern disappeared from sight. Another year had gone by. “You’re not even going to try to ask what I’m celebrating this year?” Daxal’s questions had almost become part of the tradition to Alectrona. Ever since she’d joined Jasper’s Coven, his curiosity had been relentless.
“No. I’ll just keep hoping you’ll share your secrets with the rest of the coven eventually.”
“We’ll see."
